The Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs has signed a $15 billion deal with Atlanta Global Resources Inc, a US-based firm, for the construction of a rail project that will span all nine states in the Niger Delta.

The deal was signed at the NDDC Public-Private Partnership summit in Lagos, with the aim of attracting foreign and private investors to fund development projects in the Niger Delta.

The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Umana Umana, stated that the PPP is part of an action plan to reposition the NDDC and that the private sector is critical to providing funding, technology and expertise needed to take the region to the next level of developmental strides.

The Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Samuel Ogbuku, added that the NDDC cannot develop the region alone, and that all stakeholders must be involved to provide the necessary funds for the task.

The NDDC has charged the Budget Committee to give stakeholders the opportunity to voice their preferences for projects in their areas of operations, so that they can be included in the budget.